Ukraine's NATO Obsession Led to Crisis – Trump

"I see he [Volodymyr Zelensky] is trying to renegotiate the rare earth [deal],"Trump told reporters at the White House. "Through you [reporters], I heard that they now say 'Well, I'll only do the deal if we get into NATO' or something to that effect. Well, number one, that was never discussed."

The issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO was the cause of the conflict, Trump believes.